The open letter, which was sent to Andrus Ansip, vice president for the Digital Single Market on the European Commission, said that platforms should be primarily seen as an opportunity, not a threat and therefore should not be hampered by cumbersome regulation.

The signatories added: “Businesses use platforms to reach more customers and expand into new markets. They benefit from new funding models and reduced costs. Consumers benefit from increased information and convenience, choice and quality of services, and savings in money and time. It is thus important that platforms are allowed to continue to be the drivers of innovation and to meet customer demand.”

Ill-suited

The letter which can be viewed in full online, added: “Adoption of new ex-ante regulation targeting online platforms as a segment of the digital economy is not desirable unless there is clear and compelling evidence of need, as there is a high risk that such new regulation would be ill-suited to the dynamic nature of the sector.”

The countries that signed the letter were United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Poland, Luxembourg, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Bulgaria.